Action Alert: H.3355 in subcommittee hearing January 29th!

Tell your Legislator: Support H.3355!

Tomorrow, the Transportation Subcommitteeof the SC House Education & Public Works Committee will considerH.3355 – “Driving Under the Influence of an Electronic Device, or DUI-E law”,aka the Distracted Driving bill, at:

Why do we need a law? Significant research indicates cell phones are addicting:

Our brains instinctively respond to the alerts our phones send us that signal incoming messages or social media updates, making it harder to resist the urge to use your smartphone while driving.

An incoming text, email, or social media update on our smartphones results in an increase of dopamine to the brain, which is a chemical that attributes to the feeling of arousal, leading to a compulsion to check your smartphone, even if doing so will knowingly put you in danger.

Each time an individual operates their phone while behind the wheel without a sub-optimal outcome, it reinforces the idea that it’s safe to do so and that that person can successfully multitask that way again and again in the future, according to the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s distracted driving research lab director, Despina Stavrinos.

What does H.3355 do? It takes a significant step forward in addressing distracted driving crashes, fatalities and injuries in South Carolina, H3355 expands on South Carolina’s anti-texting law to forbid the use of hand held electronic devices while driving. Bill text here. Some may feel the bill does not go far enough in terms of penalties or in addressing other causes of distracted driving, but we aren’t going to let perfect be the enemy of the good. Non-motorized road users are especially affected by distracted driving, so H.3355 can use your support! We strongly feel H3355 is an important step in reducing our risk on our streets and roads.

Representatives from the following organizations will be speaking in favor of the legislation: